


A Brother's Duty

by FleurDEspoir



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brothers, Drinking, Other, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:03:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7278268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleurDEspoir/pseuds/FleurDEspoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A disgruntled Xander must pick his brother up after getting a mildly alarming call from Niles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Brother's Duty

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

The phone resting on a nearby nightstand illuminated the corner of the room with a whitish-blue glow as it vibrated with the weight of a newly missed call. Xander’s forehead momentarily creased with confusion as his muddled thoughts tried adjusting to this slight irritant, but fatigue began to overtake him before he could fully react, and in the next moment he found himself slipping back into what was one of the more restful sleeps he’s had in a while.

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

The arrival of second call roused him once more. With a heavy sigh, Xander forced himself to roll over and check the phone so he could know who to scold for waking him up at this time of night.

The light from the screen struck Xander’s eyes with annoying force, causing him to squint as he fumbled to input his password. After a couple of drowsy attempts, he managed to unlock his phone and open his missed messages. Wrinkles eased themselves onto his forehead again as he read, with some difficulty, that they had been sent by Leo, who had gone to sleep over his friend Niles’s house for the night. It was a Friday (technically Saturday morning at this point), so he had no obligation to go to bed early, especially if he was with a friend, but his brother wasn’t exactly the type to stay up until quarter of two either, even if he had the option to do so.

Heaving himself into an upright position, Xander tapped on Leo’s name and dialed his number. Agitation began to prickle within his stomach as the dial tone droned on, and while he made every effort to ignore it, the strangeness of the situation was undeniable. Either this was all a silly mistake, or his little brother was in dire need of some help.

After several moments, his brother picked up, though there was so much noise on his end that whatever greeting Leo had given was rendered indecipherable. If he didn’t know any better, Xander would guess that is was loud music he was hearing from the other end, accompanied by a cacophony of youthful voices talking and screaming. He frowned, unable to recall any mention of Niles hosting a party this evening.

“Leo? Are you there? I can’t quite make out what you’re saying.”

Heavy bass pounded in background, though it seemed slightly quieter than a moment ago, as if the speaker had moved farther away from the noise. “...Xander? Hey, this is Niles.”

“Niles?” Xander tossed his blankets aside and began making his way across his bedroom, getting the feeling that his sleeping had ended for the night. “Where are you two? Where’s Leo?”

“ _Well_ ,” Niles began, as if pondering how to rightly explain the situation, “his royal highness seems to have gotten himself into a bit of trouble tonight, and he needs a ride home.”

Xander paused just as his foot crossed the threshold between his room and the cold floor of the hallway. The house was silent, disrupted only by the indistinct music coming from the other end of the call and, seemingly, the quickening of Xander’s heart. “What do you mean, ‘a bit of trouble’?”

Niles let out a weary chuckle, followed by a sigh. “An old friend of mine is throwing quite the get-together while his parents are away, and I wanted to drop by to say hello. Leo insisted on chaperoning, but when we got there, I got a little... Distracted by my fellow party goers and lost him.” Xander pressed his lips together at the insinuation, but refrained from interrupting as Niles went on. “But then I overheard someone had spiked all the regular drinks to loosen up a few people. By the time I found Leo, it was too late. I’d bring him home myself, but we walked here, and I’d rather not leave him at the mercy of these animals while I go get my car.”

Panic, outrage, worry, disappointment... Each one weighed on Xander’s heart as he stalked into the kitchen to retrieve his keys during Niles’s explanation. From the sound of it, Leo hadn’t known about the alcohol, but he was also smart enough to at least consider it. Honestly, Xander was surprised Leo had even gone at all. He knew his brother cared about Niles and he had probably been worried about what might have become of him if he went by himself, but couldn’t he have convinced his friend to simply not go? Leo was one of the few people Niles occasionally listened to. Had he been adamant about it, they could have avoided this predicament altogether.

Sighing, Xander opened the front door and stepped into the cool night air, not bothering to change from his airy sleeping attire. This was no time to reflect upon what should and shouldn’t have happened. There would be plenty of time to unearth the whole story once Leo was safe at home and sobered up. “I’ll be right there. Where is it?”

“Levin Ave. You’ll know the house when you see it.”

“Right."

*****

Niles had been right when he said Xander would know the house when he saw it. The scene was utter bedlam- just from where he was sitting outside he could spot a multitude of people who were either dancing, fighting, unconscious, or miraculously pulling off a combination of the three. Lights within the house pulsated in time with the music, briefly illuminating the lawn in intervals enough to reveal the plastic cups and other miscellaneous items that were scattered about on top of it. The pungent scent of booze found its way into the car before he even open the door. He wasn’t quite sure whether to be amazed or disappointed that nobody had called the police yet.

Just as he had stepped out onto the paved street, Xander saw Niles rise from where he had been waiting on the grass not too far away. Beside him, Leo hadn’t stirred from where he was resting on his back with his limbs awkwardly splayed out around him and his shirt nowhere to be seen. As he approached the two boys, Xander noticed that large portions of his brother’s pants glistened with smears of vomit, as if someone had hastily tried to wipe it off but had only made it worse. He seemed to be talking to himself as he gazed at the twinkling early morning sky, but his speech was both too quiet and inarticulate for any sense to be made of it.

“Before you ask,” Niles grunted as he and Xander each grabbed one of Leo’s arms and eased him to his feet, “his shirt’s currently being used to keep the fireplace going. Something about preventing unwanted men from crawling down the chimney.”

Xander didn’t respond as he and Niles undertook the colossal task of getting Leo to the car. This proved to be quite the ordeal, as every other step Leo’s knees seemed to buckle, and the boy would briefly go limp against one of his escorts until they urged him on with nudges and half-hearted encouragement. Not to mention, the odor emanating from him was absolutely putrid. Xander had to keep turning his head away before he got sick all over himself as well. After a few minutes of struggling, he decided to just pick him up and carry him the rest of the way to save the three of them time.

Seeing the pitiful state Leo was in washed out much of the anger stirring within Xander, leaving only sympathy in his wake. No matter how hard he tried, Xander could never overcome the tenderness he held for his siblings, and even now he could feel his heart softening at the sight of Leo practically dangling in his arms. It was as though his stern, rule-abiding self always gave way to his brotherly instincts, which were, at the moment, telling him that Leo doesn’t deserve any more punishment on top of how he’ll be feeling when he wakes up in the morning.

Leo fell asleep instantly once he hit the passenger seat, like a child who had tuckered himself out from all the excitement. After making sure his brother was buckled in securely, Xander shut the door and turned around to face Niles, who was wearing his characteristic smirk. “Well, that was an adventure I never thought I’d go on.”

Xander merely sighed. Now that he had retrieved Leo, he could feel his exhaustion returning, weighing him down like a soggy towel. “I presume you’ll be needing a ride?”

Niles waved his hand dismissively. “I think I’ll stay for a little longer. I’d like to have a bit of fun for myself, now that I’m not babysitting.”

Xander scowled, but made no attempt to stop him. In spite of his usual talk, he knew that Niles wouldn’t do anything malicious to people who were vulnerable. Leo’s friends, while eccentric and occasionally obscene, were good at heart. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Sure thing. And Xander?”

“Yes?” Xander was already back in the car, putting the keys in the ignition. Niles’s tone had shifted from his usual teasing lilt to something more akin to seriousness. Xander imagined this would be one of the few times in his life he would ever hear his brother’s friend sound so sincere.

“He never would have come here if I hadn’t pushed him into coming, so... Don’t be too hard on him, alright?”

“We’ll see.” With that, Xander pulled away from the lively scene and began the journey home.

*****

It was about quarter of three by the time they made it back. Xander had planned on carrying Leo to his room once they returned, but he had woken up just when they got home and insisted that he could walk by himself. However, once his feet hit the asphalt, he promptly fell over after losing more of the contents within his stomach, and he had to be carried inside anyway.

With some skillful maneuvering, Xander first carried him into the bathroom, where he helped his brother rinse himself off and change into a clean pair of pajama pants and a shirt. Leo was quiet throughout most of this, though his gaze remained on Xander as he was washed and changed, as if fascinated that one could possess enough dexterity to properly hold a bar of soap and a washcloth.

“Why do you do so much?” Leo eventually blurted, a bit too loudly for Xander’s liking. He didn’t want his sisters to wake up to find Leo in his current state.

“What do you mean?” he replied, making sure that the bathroom door was closed.

“You... You always, y’know, do... This.” Leo swung his arm around flaccidly, gesturing to nothing in particular. “With all of us. All the time. Why?”

“Are you asking me why I take care of you?” Xander asked.

Leo nodded exaggeratedly. “I’m older now. We all are. We need to take care of ourselves so that one day we can finally take care of _you_.” He tapped Xander’s nose and giggled as he stressed “you”.

Xander smiled, in spite of himself. “I’m afraid that won’t happen. It is my duty as the eldest brother to watch over the rest of the family, so I can support them when they falter. Besides,” he added, helping Leo into his shirt, “Camilla would have my head if I let the rest of you fend for yourselves.”

At this, Leo went silent again, not saying a word as Xander guided him through the halls and into his room. It wasn’t until he was sitting in bed and his brother was turning to leave did Leo thrust his arms somewhat unceremoniously around Xander’s torso, causing the man to freeze. Displays of affection weren’t uncommon among his siblings, but Leo did not often engage in them himself. Tentatively, Xander reciprocated, cradling Leo against him for the first time in months, perhaps even years. Leo let out a contented sigh and gently nuzzled Xander’s abdomen before speaking. “Thanks for being my brother.”

Gingerly, Xander lowered Leo back onto his bed, only to find that he had passed out again. He pulled the blanket back up to Leo’s chin, just as he had always wanted it when he was a kid. He watched for a moment longer, reflecting on this night and the many others he had spent with Leo before this, the ones filled with laughter and respect and gestures of brotherly love unique to only them, before dipping his head and gently pressing his lips against Leo’s bangs. “And thank you for being mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how to write drunk characters, ha ha. Anyway, thank you for reading!


End file.
